WEBVTT LIVE.REPORTER: OF COURSE HERITAGEVALLEY HAS THOUSANDS OFPATIENTS, BOTH AT ITS HOSPITALSAND ITS SMALLER OFFICES LIKETHIS ONE BEHIND ME HERE INAMBRIDGE, AND EVEN THISAFTERNOON THE HOSPITAL SYSTEMCANNOT SAY WHETHER OR NOT THEPERSONAL INFORMATION OF THOSEPATIENTS WAS STOLEN DURING THISHACK ATTACK.HERITAGE VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEMOFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE RESTORINGTHEIR COMPUTER SYSTEMS KNOCKEDOUT BY A GLOBAL CYBER ATTACK,BUT FOR MANY PATIENTS LIKEDOROTHY THE LARGER CONCERN ISWHETHER THOSE SAME HACKERS STOLETHEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION.DOES IT CONCERN YOU THAT HACKERSGOT INTO THE COMPUTER NIKKISISOUNONG THEM.>> ABSOLUTELY, THIS IS VERYSCARY.REPORTER: IN LAB, LIKE ALLHERITAGE VALLEY'S HOSPITALS ANDOFFICES WER HIT BY THE RANSOMWEAR ATTACK.THE HEAD OF THE UNIVERSITY OFPITTSBURGH CYBER SECURITYINSTITUTE SAYS STEALINGINFORMATION USUALLY IS NOT THEGOAL OF RANSOM WEAR.>> IT'S AN EXPORTION TO OPEN UPTHE COMPUTER, PAYMENT TO RELEASETHE COMPUTER.REPORTER: BUT THERE IS NOGUARANTEE THAT PAYING WILL FIXANYTHING.AGAIN TODAY NO ONE FROM HERITAGEVALLEY WOULD SPEAK ON CAMERA,BUT IN A STATEMENT THEY SAID"OUR INVESTIGATION IS ONGOINGAND WE ARE DILIGENTLY WORKING TODETERMINE WHETHER THE INCIDENTINVOLVED ANY ACCESS TOCONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.AT THIS TIME WE HAVE FOUND NOEVIDENCE THAT INFORMATION HASBEEN ACCESSED."THE OTHER BIG QUESTION IS WHYDID THIS HEALTH SYSTEM GET HITOF ALL THE OTHERS IN THE WORLD.HE DOESN'T BELIEVE HERITAGEVALLEY WAS A SPECIFIC TARGET.>> I SUSPECT IT WAS AN INDIRECTHIT BECAUSE THIS CYB ATTACKREALLY BEGAN IN THE UKRAINE AND90% OF THE ATTACKS WERE IN THEUKRAINE AND RUSSIA.REPORTER: HE HAS ADVICE FORPEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT GETTINGTHAT RANSOM WARE, IF YOU GET ANEMAIL WITH AN ATTACHMENT OR LINKHE SAYS CALL THE PERSON WHO SENTYOU THAT EMAIL BECAUSE SOMETIMESTHEY CAN LOOK LIKE THEY ARECOMING FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE VERYCLOSE TO YOU

Heritage Valley Health System said Wednesday it restoring its computer systems after a global cyber attack crippled its network, but still has not determined whether any patient information had been stolen by the hackers.

In a written statement, spokeswoman Suzanne Sakson said the investigation is "ongoing" and they are "working to determine whether the incident involved an access to confidential information." She also said they have found no evidence that the information was accessed.

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Heritage Valley Health System said its two hospitals west of Pittsburgh and its satellite offices were struck by the same data-scrambling software that caused disruption at some government offices and major corporations around the globe.

Some surgeries were rescheduled as a result of the computer problems, and laboratory and diagnostic offices were closed. Those functions were moved to the system's two hospitals near Beaver and Sewickley.

Dorothy Tully went to an Ambridge location Wednesday but was told to come back in five to seven days.

"We had to check out of there the old-fashioned way today," she told Pittsburgh's Action News 4.

Tully said she was also concerned that her personal and medical information may have been stolen.

"I certainly hope not. It's a big scare," she said.

Former U.S. Attorney David Hickton, who is now director of the University of Pittsburgh's Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, said ransomware attacks generally do not seek to steel such information.

"The risk of losing your personal financial information and personal identifiable information is separate from the ransomware threat," Hickton said. "The ransomware threat is an extortion to open up the computer. Payment to open up the computer."

He also said he does not believe Heritage Valley was specifically targeted.

"These malware attachments are very pernicious. And once they settle in someone's system, they spread like water moving downhill," Hickton said.

Brenda Pisarsky, 56, a shipping office worker from Wellsville, Ohio, told The Associated Press she noticed that computer monitors were off and saw nurses scurrying around with stacks of paperwork.

Pisarsky said she had already been prepped for surgery so doctors went through with her procedure, but that she was told some other patients were less fortunate and had to have their operations rescheduled.

"Thank God I was able to get my surgery!" she posted on Facebook.

Another patient reported on Facebook that he was all set to be wheeled into the operating room when the computers went down, and his surgery had to be postponed a day.

Heritage Valley provides care for residents of western Pennsylvania, parts of eastern Ohio and the panhandle of West Virginia. Its two hospitals have about 500 beds.